A400M update - FlightGlobal

A400M deliveries hit new high in 2017

17 JANUARY, 2018 - SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM - BY: CRAIG HOYLE - LONDON

Airbus Defence & Space delivered its first A400M of the new year on 12 January, taking its total output of Atlas tactical transports to 56 units so far.

Its most recent delivery was the German air force's 15^th A400M – service registration 54+16 (MSN64) – from a total commitment for 53 of the four-engined type.

Airbus Defence & Space

Germany has the second-largest active fleet of A400Ms, behind the UK Royal Air Force – which has now received 18 examples, from an eventual total of 22. France has taken delivery of 13, with another 37 on order. Additional recipients include Spain (2), Turkey (4) and export customer Malaysia, which has already completed its four-strong fleet of the type.

Airbus Defence & Space confirms that a total of 19 A400Ms were handed over in 2017 – its highest annual output for the Atlas since deliveries began in late 2013. The company's order backlog for the airlifter now stands at 118 aircraft, to be delivered to the current European operators, plus fellow programme partners Belgium and Luxembourg. It also continues to market the type to a range of potential export customers.

Recent programme highlights have included a "Grizzly" test aircraft providing in-flight refuelling support for six Spanish air force Boeing F/A-18 fighters during a test conducted on 13 December 2017. Airbus Defence & Space says 11.4t of fuel was transferred on the mission, from the A400M's under-wing hose and drogue refuelling pods, and its centre hose refuelling unit.

Airbus Defence & Space

"Certification authorities on board confirmed good results and the flight validated the A400M two-crew cockpit concept for tanker missions," the company says.

The UK also late last year concluded a series of flight trials to assess the A400M's ability to participate in maritime rescue operations. The activity involved deploying specialist rescue apparatus including container-housed inflatable life-rafts and survival equipment from the transport's rear cargo ramp by parachute.

"The trials successfully demonstrated the ability of the A400M to safely deploy air-sea rescue apparatus and conduct long-range air-sea rescue operations," says the UK's Defence Equipment & Support agency.

Tu-160 Mod flyr - Putin har foreslått den som Business jet - FlightGlobal

First modernised Tu-160 makes maiden sortie

29 JANUARY, 2018 - SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM - BY: DOMINIC PERRY - LONDON

Russia's United Aircraft has flown the first remanufactured Tupolev Tu-160, with the supersonic aircraft performing a short flight from Kazan on 25 January.

Watched by a crowd of VIPs including Russian president Vladimir Putin, the 7min sortie was performed at an altitude of 300m, to check the aircraft's handling characteristics.

As well as modernising the aircraft with new avionics and engines, Tupolev has made extensive alterations to the existing airframe.

The Tu-160 was last produced in 2008 and the current upgrade process is part of an effort to re-establish the final assembly facility in Kazan.

Helikopter - CHC med Statoilkontrakt i Brasil - R&W

CHC Readies for New Contract in Brazil

By S.L. Fuller | January 30, 2018

brazil, CHC, Offshore

 
 
 
 
 

Photo courtesy of CHC

CHC is set to fly for Statoil. The operator announced Monday a two-year agreement to support flying to Operational Area – BM-S-8 – in Brazil.

“CHC is proud to support Statoil’s operations throughout the world,” said Marcelo Luiz Da Silva Soares, CHC’s regional director for Latin America. “We look forward to utilizing our global standards and processes to taking care of our new passengers in Jacarepaguá when this contract begins.”

Missions based out of Jacarepaguá are set to begin in February. CHC said it would deploy a Sikorsky S-92.

Norwegian-bussen populær - Check-In

50.000 passagerer med Norwegian-bus

Af: Andreas Krog i Produkter 30. januar 2018  Print

Norwegians busforbindelse, der bringer rejsende fra blandt andet Bergen helt frem til New York, er blevet populær.

På papiret virker det en anelse molboagtigt. At et flyselskab også bruger busser for at få passagererne frem til deres destination i stedet for blot at flyve dem hele vejen. Og ikke blot gør det i særlige tilfælde, men ligger bustransporten ind som en helt almindelig del af rejsen.

Men det er nu en gang hvad Norwegian har gjort for at passagererne, der flyver til og fra den lille Stewart-lufthavn nord for New York kan komme hele vejen til det, som der for manges vedkommende er slutdestinationen, nemlig New York.

Fornylig markerede Norwegian, at ikke mindre end 50.000 passagerer nu var gået ombord på bussen, der opereres af Coach USA.

Fire gange dagligt
Turen mellem busterminalen på Manhattan ved 42. gade og 8. Avenue tæt ved Times Square og Stewart International Airport tager omkring en time og 20 minutter. Busserne fra Coach USA er 55-sæders luksusbusser med WiFi, strømudtag ved sædet, stort bagageafsnit, klimakontrol, sæder med armlæn og fodstøtte, tonede ruder samt toilet.

Bussen kører om aftenen op til fire gange dagligt og tidsplanen er nøje tilpasset Norwegians flyvninger med Boeing 737 MAX-8 mellem Stewart og fire destinationer i Europa.

Det er Bergen i Norge, Edinburgh i Skotland, Belfast i Nordirland samt Dublin og Shannon i Irland, som Norwegian flyver til mellem to og fem gange om ugen.

Vil benytte kollektiv transport
Ruterne til og fra Stewart International Airport markedsføres som New York-ruter, selvom lufthavnen ligger omkring 100 kilometer nord for Manhattan. Nogle passagerer lejer givetvis leje en bil ved ankomsten til den amerikanske østkystlufthavn, mens der er andre, der gerne vil benytte kollektiv transport videre til The Big Apple. Og netop derfor indgik Norwegian forud for ruteåbningerne i sommeren 2017 et samarbejde med Stewart International Airport og busselskabet Coach USA om at etablere Stewart Airport Express, der er den eneste direkte forbindelse mellem lufthavnen og New York City.

SAS med sosial dumping - DPF

Dansk Pilotforening

 

Her ses de ruter SAS Ireland(SAIL) skal udføre i sommerprogrammet 2018. SAS Ireland har baser i Malaga og London, men synes du det ser sådan ud?
Disse besætninger er ansat på helt andre lønvilkår end vi er vant til i Danmark. Vi synes det er #socialdumping

Del gerne budskabet!

A321LR flyr - Airbus

First A321LR takes to the skies for its maiden flight

•        A321 Long Range  flight-test programme now underway

•        Up to 240 passengers and 4,000 nm range

Hamburg, 31st January 2018 – The first A321LR (Long Range) has taken off on its maiden flight from Hamburg Germany at 11:06 hrs local time, commencing its flight test programme. The aircraft, MSN7877, is powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines.

The aircraft’s crew comprised: Experimental Test Pilots Yann Beaufils and Peter Lofts as well as Flight Test Engineers Frank Hohmeister, Jim Fawcett, Cedric Favrichon and Cabin Specialist Alexander Gentzsch.

Photo Caption: The A321LR Takes Off on its Maiden Flight from Hamburg

Photo Caption: This evolution of the A321neo is ideally suited for Long Range flights, it combines Long Range capability, comfort for the passengers with attractive operational costs and environmental performance.

The aircraft is now set to undergo a nearly 100 hour flight test programme, including transatlantic missions, for EASA and FAA Type Certification in Q2 2018. Entry into service is targeted for Q4 2018.

The A321LR features a new door configuration, enabling its operators to accommodate up to 240 passengers in Airbus’ widest Single Aisle fuselage in the sky. The new Airspace by Airbus cabin available on the A320 Family additionally enhances the passengers’ unrivalled travel experience. With further options, combining an increased Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW) of 97 tonnes and a third Additional Centre Fuel Tank (ACT), the aircraft’s range extends to 4,000nm (7,400 km), allowing airlines to tap into new long range market opportunities.

Incorporating the latest engines, aerodynamic advances, and cabin innovations, the A321neo offers a significant reduction in fuel consumption of 20 percent by 2020. With more than 1900 orders received from over 50 customers, to date the A321neo has captured a solid 80 percent of market share, making it the true aircraft of choice in the Middle of the Market.

EasyJet gjør sitt inntog på Gardermoen i august - Check-In

EasyJet Airbus A319-100 (Foto: Simone Ciaralli)

To nye nordiske Berlin-ruter

Af: Andreas Krog i Ruter 31. januar 2018  Print

EasyJet får til august debut i Oslo Gardermoen og Gøteborg Landvetter med to ruter til sin nye store base i Berlin Tegel-lufthavnen.

Oslo Gardermoen og Gøteborgs Landvetter-lufthavn får nu også glæde af easyJet’s storstilede indtog i Berlins Tegel-lufthavn i kølvandet på, at easyJet overtog 25 Airbus-fly og landingstilladelser i Tegel-lufthavnen fra airberlin, der gik konkurs i oktober sidste år.

De to lufthavne er således blandt 23 nye destinationer, som easyjet planlægger at åbne nye ruter til henover sommeren fra Berlin Tegel samtidig med at selskabet øger kapaciteten på fem ruter, som man allerede har åbnet eller planlægger at åbne.

EasyJet åbner ruterne til Oslo og Gøteborg den 3. og 5. august en daglig flyvning på hver af de to ruter. Det bliver easyJets første ruter til de to lufthavne, der er Skandinaviens henholdsvis næststørste og fjerdestørste lufthavn. På Oslo-ruten kommer easyJet til at flyve vinge mod vinge med SAS, mens Norwegian flyver mellem Oslo og den anden Berlin-lufthavn Schönefeld. EasyJet bliver alene på ruten mellem Gøteborg og Berlin Tegel.

Stort hul i markedet
De 21 øvrige nye Berlin Tegel-ruter, som selskabet netop har annonceret får hovedsageligt sydpå til Portugal, Spanien, Frankrig, Grækenland, Serbien og Kroatien. Men selskabet åbner blandt andet også en tysk indenrigsrute til Køln med op til fem daglige flyvninger.

EasyJet har tidligere udelukkende benyttet Berlin Schönefeld-lufthavnen, men har efter airberlin-konkursen valgt at operere fra begge den tyske hovedstads slidte lufthavne. Airberlin sad nemlig på en stor del af trafikken til og fra Tegel og selskabet efterlod derfor et stort hul i markedet, som easyJet nu forsøger at få sin bid af.

Rute til CPH
Det britiske lavprisselskab har tidligere annonceret 19 andre Tegel-ruter, hvoraf flere allerede er blevet åbnet. Det gælder blandt andet en rute til København, der åbnede den 5. januar med to daglige afgange parallelt med selskabets eksisterende CPH-rute fra Schönefeld-lufthavnen. Den 25. marts skruer selskabet op til tre daglige afgange mellem Berlin Tegel og Københavns Lufthavn og kommer dermed op på 37 ugentlige flyvninger i hver retning mellem de to Berlin-lufthavne og København.

CPH-ruten er en af 13 ruter, der allerede er åbnet, mens de resterende seks ruter åbner i løbet af februar og marts. Blandt de 19 ruter er blandt andet fire indenrigsruter til Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, München og Stuttgart med op til henholdsvis to, fem, otte og fire daglige flyvninger. De fire ruter åbnede den 7. januar og er tydeligvis et forsøg på at snuppe så meget af det tyske indenrigsmarked, som airberlin efterlader sig.

Desuden åbner easyJet ruter fra Berlin-Tegel til blandt andet Helsinki, Madrid, Milano, Paris, Rom, Wien, Zürich og Stockholm. Sidstnævnte rute åbner den 1. marts med to daglige flyvninger.

B-2 slipper 14 tonns bombe - CNN

Trump to strike North Korea? Upgrades 30,000lbs 'Penetrator bomb' capable of reaching Kim

THE US has upgraded its largest non-nuclear bomb, a 30,000-pound “bunker-buster” which can only be carried by B-2 stealth bombers – the fighter jets Donald Trump has repeatedly sent to North Korea.

By NICOLE STINSON

PUBLISHED: 03:28, Fri, Jan 26, 2018 | UPDATED: 04:56, Fri, Jan 26, 2018

The Doomsday Clock time was moved 30 seconds closer to midnight by scientists yesterday after experts warn humanity edges towards destroying itself with "nuclear weapons taking centre stage”.

Now the US Airforce has confirmed the fourth upgrade to its Boeing GBU-57 bomb has been completed and the military’s current inventory is being retrofitted.

Captain Emily Grabowski, an Air Force spokeswoman, said the modification “has improved the performance against hard and deeply buried targets”.

The GBU-57, also known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, is bigger than the 21,600-pound bomb the US dropped on ISIS last year.

The 20.5-foot-long bomb carries more than 5,300 pounds of explosives and is guided by GPS satellites, according to Pentagon’s Defence Threat Reduction Agency website.

GETTY

The US has upgraded its largest non-nuclear bomb, the 'bunker-buster', carried by its B-2 bombers

It could be used if the US launched an attack on North Korea and is capable of hitting underground nuclear or missile facilities, should the need arise.

Three B-2 bombers were deployed to Guam this month in a planned rotation, but Ms Grabowski declined to say whether the GBU-57 had also been sent to the territory.

Following tests of the weapon in May last year, the Pentagon deemed the bomb effective “when paired with proper tactics, techniques, and procedures”.

In May, the Air Force dropped three of the bombs from B-2 bombers over the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said that the GBU-57 bomb “is primarily intended for soft to medium surface targets covering extended areas, targets contained in an environment such as caves or canyons, clearing extensive mine fields, and for psychological effects”.

C-47 historie på webcast i dag - Sjekk AVweb video

C-47 First Flight To Be Webcast   MARY GRADY     The C-47 that led the Allied invasion into France on D-Day in 1944 is scheduled to fly for the first time in 10 years on Wednesday, Jan.31, and the flight will be webcast live. The airplane, named That’s All, Brother, had been abandoned in a Wisconsin junkyard, till it was found by the Commemorative Air Force. Historian Matt Scales uncovered the airplane’s history, and the CAF led a fundraising effort to restore the airplane to flying condition. “We estimate that we have put more than 22,000 hours into this restoration project so far,” said CAF President Bob Stenevik in a news release this week. “The aircraft, once flying, will become a valuable tool for our organization, helping to tell the story of D-Day and the great efforts and sacrifices made on the shores of Normandy.” After the initial flight tests, That’s All, Brother will be flown to its new base in San Marcos, Texas. Volunteers with the CAF Central Texas Wing will complete the interior and detail work and will maintain the aircraft. They also will restore the aircraft exterior to its 1944 appearance. In June 2019, the airplane will participate in a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, flying along with several other WWII aircraft across the Atlantic to England, and on to Normandy. Live footage of the first flight is set to be broadcast via Facebook on Wednesday, at 1 p.m. CST. The flight is subject to maintenance and weather, so the date or time could be adjusted. Updates and video will be posted at the “That’s All, Brother” Facebook page. view on YouTube

Flysikkerhet - Latent feil som ikke lar seg oppdage med dagens vedlikeholdssystemer - AVweb

“Undetectable” Defect Blamed For Engine Failure   MARY GRADY     An internal defect caused an uncontained engine failure, leading to a fire, during the takeoff roll of a Boeing 767 in October 2016, the NTSB said in its probable-cause hearing on Tuesday. The subsurface defect led to cracking in a turbine disk. The cracks were undetectable using current inspection methods, the investigators found. “Even though there have been significant advances in the safety performance of passenger airplanes over the last few decades, this accident shows there are still improvements that can be made,” said NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt. “Current inspection methods – those that can fail to uncover a defect in a safety-critical component of an airliner – need a closer look.” The American Airlines flight, bound for Miami, was on its takeoff roll at Chicago O’Hare International Airport when a turbine disk in the right engine failed, sending metal fragments through a fuel tank and wing structure. Leaking fuel fed a fire. The flight crew aborted the takeoff and stopped the airplane on the runway. All passengers and crew evacuated and survived. One passenger was seriously injured after encountering jet blast from the good engine, which was still running. The NTSB found several problems with the evacuation procedures, including a lack of communication between the flight crew and cabin crew. The airplane was damaged beyond repair. The NTSB made one recommendation to American Airlines, one to Boeing, and seven new recommendations to the FAA. The NTSB also reiterated two recommendations to the FAA on emergency evacuations because that agency has yet to favorably act upon them. The complete accident report will be available in a few weeks. The findings, probable cause and safety recommendations, as well as Sumwalt’s prepared remarks and the PowerPoint presentations given on Tuesday, are all available online.

Putin: Tu-160M as supersonic business jet - AIN

Russia Flirts with SSBJ Version of Tu-160 Bomber

by Vladimir Karnozov

 - January 30, 2018, 11:26 AM

Russian president Vladimir Putin suggested manufacturing a civilian, supersonic business jet (SSBJ) version of the Tupolev Tu-160M2 swing-wing strategic bomber during a visit late last week to the Kazan Aviation Production Association (KAPO) to watch the maiden flight of the Mach 2 airplane. Then yesterday, Russia’s ministry for industry and trade released a statement saying the demand for supersonic business jets (SSBJs) in Russia alone is estimated at 20 to 30 units, with each selling at $100 million to $120 million, and saying the global market would also be “substantial.”

At first blush, Putin’s idea was taken as a part of the rhetoric associated with the March 18 presidential elections. However, United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) president Yuri Slyusar has since announced that his company has started working on “a supersonic civilian airplane” and said “technologies and design solutions from the Tu-160 can be applied.”

Seemingly, UAC’s announcement was about an SSBJ scale model on display at MAKS’2017 at the stand of the Central Aero-hydra-dynamics Institute. Industry sources believe an SSBJ can be designed and built in seven years, provided it uses an existing engine such as the Nukolai Kuznetsov NK-32-02 afterburner-equipped turbofans being tested on the Tu-160M2 prototype.

A number of Russian government officials and industry leaders who spoke to the media in recent days insisted that a number of local and foreign wealthy individuals want a supersonic jet. In fact, they said some have even asked Russia to make one available.

Even though they admit the production run would be limited, the expected flyaway price of $150 million (including interior and options) would make it worth an effort, the officials said. “The main thing to consider is that the plant in Kazan has mastered production of long members in the force-bearing structure [made of titanium], [and] that we have a capable engineering team and technologies mastered on the Tu-160, which are applicable to both military and civilian airplanes,” said Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s deputy prime minister responsible for the military industrial complex.

He stressed that adding commercial orders to the one placed by the Russian defense ministry for 10 Tu-160M2s (with an option for 40 more) would “increase the production run and decrease unit cost.”